U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,803 relates to a cavity sealing arrangement and method. A vehicle body pillar has a cavity therein through which air flow creating undesirable noise and in which moisture and fluids such as water are not to be collected. An expandable sealant plug is inserted therein and retained in place. The sealant material forming the plug is later expandable under controlled conditions. Preferably during the electro-coated coated paint baking and curing operation, the sealant is exposed to appropriate temperatures for sufficient time to expand the sealant about 800% and cure it, sealing the cavity so as to prevent the flow of air through it. The expanded sealant also effectively blocks the intrusion of fluids such as water, minimizing corrosion within the pillar.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,784 relates to a water closet seal apparatus. The seal apparatus is a seal between a commode and a drain pipe comprising a pipe extension, a gasket, and a flanged base. The pipe extension comprises an extension sealing surface. The gasket comprises a sealing lip, a pipe extension clearance, and a gasket sealing surface. The flanged base comprises a pipe bonding surface and a base sealing surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,912 relates to a method and apparatus for sealing the joints, using a unified protective joint cap, of jointed building panel systems having a plurality of building panels. The unified sealing member is applied on top of the jointing means of the panel system where no modifications or alterations of the jointing means is required. The protective joint cap may be applied directly to a jointing system in need of repair without the requirement of resealing the jointing system. The protective cap does not require an anchoring means to be installed prior to application. The protective joint cap preferably contains an incorporated extrusion suitable for maintaining a bead of liquefied elastomeric sealant, which may be applied prior to the sealing member's installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,953 relates to an insulation cap of a wire joint of a joined electrical wire, the insulation cap including a cap main body for receiving the wire joint being formed by joining cores of a plurality of covered wires and an electro-conductive sleeve, and a flexible fastener provided on an inner wall of the cap main body for fastening the wire joint by contacting a rear end of the electro-conductive sleeve thereon. The flexible fastener is formed as an integral part of the cap main body by fastening a molding die through a hole provided by an opposite end of a joint insertion end of the cap main body. A plurality of flexible fasteners are provided axial symmetry to extend toward a direction of inserting the wire joint from a base formed as an integral part of the inner wall of the cap main body.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,047 relates to a bearing assembly having a roller bearing with an inner case fitted around the journal portion of an axle. An outer raceway combines with the inner raceway to receive roller elements. A backring ring is centered to the shaft fillet. An annular wear ring is positioned between the inner case and the backring ring. An annular sealant bead or a sealant ring form a seal between the shaft shoulder and the backring ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,388,293 relates to an insulated, sealed cap that overlies and protects a fastener component on a substrate in association with a substrate opening. The sealed cap includes an outer cap component filled partially with a selected sealant material and assembled with an inner collect sized and shaped to fit with a slip fit about the fastener component such as a nut at one side of a selected substrate. An inboard edge of the inner collect seats on and substantially seals with the substrate. The outer component is then displaced toward the substrate to extrude the sealant material into a thin and substantially uniform layer joined with an extruded outer bead on the substrate, and then permitted to cure. Tapered ribs on the inner collect effectively lock with the outer cap component during sealing material curing and subsequently.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,602,764 relates to a sealant mold for sealing a dome element particularly at a region about an interface with a substrate such as an aircraft fuel tank wall. The sealant mold is formed from a lightweight plastic material, and includes an outer cap portion having an opening formed therein, in combination with an integral outer skirt to define a gap or trough for receiving and supporting a metered quantity of a curable sealant material. The mold is slidably fitted onto a dome element with outer skirt displaced downwardly to extrude the sealant material about the lower region of the dome element. The sealant material is allowed to cure, after which the sealant mold can be stripped from the cured sealant material.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,616,868 relates to a sealant mold for sealing a domed nutplate unit at a lower region about an adhesively attached interface with a substrate such as an aircraft fuel tank wall. The sealant mold is formed from a lightweight plastic material, and includes an outer cap portion having an opening formed therein, in combination with an integral outer skirt to define a gap or trough for receiving and supporting a metered quantity of a curable sealant material. The mold is fitted onto a dome of the nutplate unit with an inner cap inboard edge landed onto a dome shoulder. The outer skirt is then displaced downwardly about the landed inner cap to extrude the sealant material about the lower region of the nutplate unit such as the adhesively attached interface with the substrate. The sealant material is allowed to cure, after which the sealant mold can be stripped from the cured sealant material.
A radome is a framed spherical structure which encloses and protects antenna equipment from the elements. The radome consists of triangular shaped panels. The panel frames are bolted together in a predetermined manner. All panel-to-panel bolt holes are accessible from the inside of the radome for insertion of the fastening hardware. The corner junctions of the panels are secured with inside and outside cluster caps. In the prior art, silicone sealant is applied at all outer joints to prevent the free ingress of water. A bead of sealant was applied around the outer edge of the cluster cap cover and the area between the cluster cap and radome membrane surface was filled with sealant.
Currently frame panels are assembled rail to rail. Silicone caulk is applied at the rail to rail joint. At the intersection of the corner apexes, an inner support plate (disc) is bolted in place connecting the corner bosses of the frame. The outer cap plate is positioned and bolted into place. Sealant is then applied to fill the gap between the underside of the disc and the membrane panels of the frame. The narrow departure angle of the membrane surfaces precludes positioning the sealant nozzle to assure contact of the sealant to the underside of the disc. Sealant is applied to the outer wall of the cap plate and a molded plastic cap is installed and dressed with a final fillet of sealant around its base. The attachment is not enduring and caps are blown off resulting in leakage at those joints.
Leak paths may be created during the application of sealant. Application is craft intensive, unwieldly, and expensive, with no means of verification as to effectiveness.
A caulking gun cannot go into all angles of the radome. The current problems with radomes is that water leaks inside a radome.